That's New
by Nanashio
Summary: Humor, or lack thereof. Shounenai. Weevil Underwood wants Seto Kaiba, though the feeling isn't mutual. Stubbornshipping and attempted Shrimpshipping. Completed.
1. Well, This is New

Disclaimer: ... if I owned them, I'd make things go my way. Heh, but they aren't mine (not creating them has that effect). Let's applaud Kazuki Takahashi for creating the series, and the characters, ne?

Warnings: ... shounen-ai... heh, mild language, due to Kaiba's impatience. I dunno if this is considered bashing, but who really knows. I was bored. I needed something to do. If it's bashing, then, whoops, sorry. If not, then that's a relief.

* * *

"What the hell did I do to deserve this?" Seto Kaiba groaned to himself, while hiding behind a trashbin, in a dark alley. It was not his style, nosirreebob... to be hiding behind a trashbin in an alley, but damnit, this was an emergency.

The unexpected had happened. The unexpected, and the unexplainable. And if there was one thing Seto Kaiba did _not_ like, it was stuff happening to him that he didn't expect, or couldn't explain.

Nervously, he straightened up, peering over the trashbin. It took a lot of willpower not to inhale the sweet, sour, soggy odor coming from within the large green bin. Whatever was causing the smell, Kaiba was very sure he didn't wanna know. Something moldy no doubt... wait, halt those thoughts right there, as he just ate lunch...

The street outside the alley was clear, except for the normal bustling people; hustling, and bustling no less. He tried taking a deep relaxing breath, which only caused the CEO to gag, what with the sweet, sour, soggy smell invading his nostrils. Garbage never smelled pleasant, especially during such a warm day. Especially during a warm day after about four days of non-stop rain. Man, the weather was twisted; as if it rained for those four days, then seemed to know Kaiba had to hide behind the trashbin that day, so Mother Nature turned up the heat/sun. Warm garbage was not a pleasant scent, nope.

Especially if it was drying wet garbage. And how was sunlight getting into an alley, anyways?

_Oi, that was enough!_ He decided, then with his hands covering his nose, Kaiba staggered out of the alley, gasping and panting. Good lord, what did people throw away these days?

Nearly collapsing, Kaiba leaned heavily against the brick wall, inhaling the much cleaner air, regardless of the obvious exhaust fumes. Running and hiding was really not his forte. But at the moment, he had to do it. Not that he wanted to do it, but damnit, he was doing it!

Damn to hell the demon that was making him run and hide!

"Lovebug!"

... Speak of the Devil, and Kaiba used the term loosely. He straightened up, putting on his most vicious glare as the little... well, weirdo was the only way to put it, was racing towards him with his arms waving almost eagerly.

"Lovebug!" he was yelling at the top his lungs.

Kaiba held out his palm, catching the little runt by the front of his shirt, keeping him at arms-length away. "You little parasite! Stop calling me that!" he snarled.

Weevil Underwood could only gaze lovingly up at the beautiful, hot, just plain yummy CEO with a lovestruck gaze. "Oh sweet lovebug!" he breathed. "You're such a tease!"

Kaiba's right eye began to twitch, "I said stop calling me that!"

"As you wish...!" Weevil declared, "lovebug!"

"Damnit, you little parasite, I'm gonna...!" Kaiba raised his fist, prepared to beat the kid's head in.

"... Don't tell me I have to start defending that kid from bullies, too," a painfully familiar voice said in mock exasperation.

Kaiba blinked, as did Weevil. The taller of the two glared hard at the intruder. "Go away, I can do without another annoyance for the day," he said coldly.

Tristan Taylor laughed, "yeah, can tell... lovebug, was it?" he grinned.

Kaiba opened his mouth to retort, until...

"Shut up!" Weevil yelled. "Only I can call him Lovebug!" he declared passionately.

Kaiba aimed his glare back at the Bugboy. "_No one_ can call me that!" he yelled.

Tristan smiled wryly, strolling closer, and plucked Weevil from Kaiba's vice-like grip. "So, what's going on, Weevil?" he asked curiously.

"... I declare Seto Kaiba as mine!" Weevil snapped, scowling at Tristan. "And if you even think about touching him, I will hurt you. I know Judo!"

Tristan, rather learned in Tae Kwon Do, ignored the threat. "Why would I wanna touch him?" he asked, as he blinked in confusion.

Kaiba's hands were clenched into tight fists, as he growled, while glaring at the two of them. "Both of you! Just go to hell!" he bellowed, then he turned and ran off, his long black jacket billowing behind him. Beautifully I might add.

"Ah! Lovebug! Come back!" Weevil shouted frantically.

Tristan anime sweatdropped, then tilted his head slightly. "Huh, dramatic exit..." he murmured, almost thoughtfully.

"Is he not the absolute sight of perfection?" Weevil said, smiling dreamily.

"... Uh, sure thing," Tristan looked back down at the smaller teen he was still holding. "So why the sudden interest in Kaiba?" he asked.

"No idea," Weevil answered honestly. "One day I just woke up, and I wanted to be with him, more than anything..." he gripped his fists close to his chest. "And I will succeed! Seto Kaiba will fall in love with me! I'm sure of it!"

"I don't think he likes people feeling that passionately about him," said Tristan, with a raised eyebrow.

"Whatever..." Weevil lifted his arms, slipping down, out of his coat, which the lanky brunet was holding onto. "Doesn't matter, he'll have to get used to it," he said simply, as he snatched his coat back from Tristan. And with that, he turned and ran down the street, in the direction Kaiba ran off.

Tristan rubbed the back of his head, his eyebrow still raised in confusion.

Then he was ran into.

"Ack!" two voices simultaneously rang out.

Tristan winced, slowly getting back to his feet, then looked down at the little figure that managed to plow him over. "Uh, hey Rex?" he greeted, confusion growing. Why was he running into such unexpected people?

Rex Raptor was brushing his purple bangs out of his eyes, as he stood up, and straightened his toque-hatlike thing. "Why don't you move?" he snapped, eyes flashing in annoyance.

Tristan towered over Rex, probably by over a foot, but the kid was feeling daring or something. "Bad day, Rex?" he asked dryly.

"Not really," Rex muttered, looking back and forth, his eyes almost looked nervous and frantic.

Tristan couldn't hide his grin, pointing in the direction Weevil left in. "He went that way," he said shortly.

"Really?" Rex asked, almost eagerly. Then his cheeks reddened slightly, as Tristan smirked at him. "Uh, who did?" the shorter teen muttered.

"Weevil... he went that way, after Kaiba."

"Damnit..." Rex growled, "I'm gonna smack some sense into him!" He stomped past Tristan... then broke into a run, taking off after Weevil.

Tristan blinked, and smiled faintly. Well, wasn't this gonna be an interesting development?

**TBC**

* * *

... A/N: don't ask, don't ask, don't ask. Star gave me the idea, though. And I thank her, many a time. Yup. Whee, fun, fun, fun. Been a while since I had fun while writing. I hope I can keep it up though. Heh.


	2. Lovebug Charmer?

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Everyone knows it. If you don't... uh, sorry, I shoulda said so earlier.

Warnings: Shounen-ai, and mild language. Hey, I'm just having fun. But oh well. But as I said, Weevil wants Kaiba. Heh, it might just be a crackpairing, I guess you could call. But I consider it fun. And I have Stubborn/Shrimpshipping in mind. Heh, stubborn shrimp XD um, yeah... never mind.

* * *

Kaiba had all but stormed into KC's building, pausing at the receptionist's desk. "There's a little parasite named Weevil Underwood, if he comes in here, do not, repeat, _DO NOT_ let him come anywhere near me, or my office. Understand?" he said sternly.

Shina-san blinked, then nodded, "yessir."

Kaiba nodded, and continued on his way to the elevator.

"Lovebug!"

"Go to hell, Underwood!" Kaiba snarled, stepping into the elevator, just as the doors closed.

Weevil blinked, then smiled. "Such a tease," he said, with a slight laugh. Then he bounded towards the elevators, only to be caught on something. Then the Bugboy found himself lifted in the air by his arm. "Uh, yes?" he asked, with a small scowl at the burly guard holding him up so effortlessly.

"Weevil Underwood?" Shina-san questioned in her most polite tone. She smiled apologetically, as Weevil reluctantly nodded. "My apologies, but Mr. Kaiba doesn't want any interruptions," She never did feel right about kicking people out, but the boss was the boss. "Daryl, please escort the gentleman out."

Daryl, the guard, grunted as he proceeded to carry the little guy to the rotating doors; Weevil was dropped unceremoniously inside, before Daryl spun the doors, hard enough for Weevil to slide out to the other side, outside on the sidewalk.

Weevil blinked several times, then frowned and jumped to his feet. "You can't interfere! Not with love on the line! Come out, and try that again, you big lummox!" The guard glared at him, but ignored the challenge, and lumbered away.

Weevil frowned, until he was suddenly smacked over the head. "Idiot!" a voice growled behind him, obviously irritated.

Weevil sweatdropped, and spun around, finding himself glaring at Rex Raptor. "You're the idiot!" he shot back in annoyance, his hand covering the area that was just smacked. "What do you want?!"

"You don't just run off after Seto Kaiba, idiot!" Rex snarled. "Especially while I'm talking to you!"

"_You're_ the idiot," Weevil repeated shortly. Then he blinked, "you were talking?"

A vein began pulsating on the slightly taller boy's temple, as he growled at the sidewalk. Why the sidewalk? Who really knows? Weevil wasn't taking Rex's anger seriously, and perhaps the concrete was. Rex shot his hand out, grasping Weevil's own, "c' mon, enough of this... I've been going after you all damn day!"

"I didn't ask you to!" Weevil snapped, trying to yank his hand back. "Why don't you get lost?"

"Because!"

"Because why?"

They both began glaring at each other. Weevil couldn't be more annoyed at his reluctantly-admitted friend; who did he think he was, barging in, trying to keep Weevil from true happiness? Whereas Rex just saw Weevil acting like a complete moronic idiot. Hmn, jealousy had reared its ugly head, no?

"Let's just go!" Rex was struggling not to yell, while tugging at Weevil's hand.

"No!"

"Idiot! Come on!"

"Moron! I said no!"

"Weevil!" Rex growled, glaring viciously.

Weevil blinked, then rolled his eyes. Rex's glare was nothing like Kaiba's... but it seemed to have its slight appeal. So with an annoyed sigh, he allowed Rex to drag him off, away from KC's building. "Fine, but make it fast," he muttered. "I have to get back before--"

"Hell no!" Rex spat. "You're not going back there, ever again!"

"Damnit, I wasn't looking for his cards!" Weevil snapped. "I'm in love! I'm not looking for stupid cards anymore! Alright?"

"You're not in love!"

"What do you know?"

"Damnit, don't make me hit you again!"

"Try it, you neanderthal!"

Now there was something interesting to see: During the entire argument, Rex and Weevil were nose-to-nose, glaring and snarling at each other, all the while Rex was still holding Weevil's hand. And Weevil wasn't even trying to make him let go. It painted a cute picture, really.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Both boys blinked, and looked up at Tristan, whom was smiling at the scene.

"Are you stalking him, or something?" Rex and Weevil both shouted. Rex referring to Weevil, whereas Weevil was referring to Kaiba. And the Bugboy didn't even notice Rex pull him behind his back a bit.

"Uh, not really? Call it worrying," Tristan shrugged. "I thought Kaiba would've beaten both of your heads in, actually, and I'd feel bad if I didn't try to prevent that."

Weevil tore his hand from Rex's, as he charged up to the taller teen. "Alright, you moose!"

Tristan sweatdropped.

"You and I, we're gonna talk," He grabbed Tristan's arm, and stomped around him, leading him towards the cafe on the corner.

Tristan blinked, then grinned weakly back at Rex, "joining?"

Rex scowled, and muttered under his breath(something about flea-brained idiots), but nodded anyways, trailing after them.

Once seated at a table in the cafe, Tristan's couldn't help noting how nice the place was. It was quaint, really; the walls were wallpapered with yellow flowers and green vines, and were panelled with nice dark mohogany, and the windows allowed in plenty of sunlight. The tables were small, the chairs comfy cozy. Very nice place, probably mainly for dating. If it weren't for three people sitting at a table, it'd be almost considered a date.

... Or at the stares Tristan was getting, maybe he was considered a cad for dating two people at the exact same time. And at the same table no less. The occasional glare he received from their waitress, and the free slices of chocolate cake for Rex and Weevil, said it all; the establishment thought Tristan was a jerk.

Well, see if he ever came here again. Nah, actually, it was kinda funny. Tristan wanted to laugh. And he would gladly add fuel to the fire, but that could wait for later on.

"So, what'd you wanna talk about?" Tristan asked, narrowly avoiding the waitress elbowing him in the eye.

"Here you go, boys," she said, refilling their glasses of iced tea to the brim. She shot Tristan a dirty look, pointedly ignoring his nearly empty cup of coffee, then stalked away, muttering about two-timing creeps.

Tristan snickered.

"Tell me what you did!" Weevil suddenly demanded.

Tristan blinked, and Rex sweatdropped, "huh?"

"Nice retort," Weevil snorted. Then he glared at Tristan, "tell me what you did! Teach me how you got my Lovebug's attention!"

Then Tristan sweatdropped, looking more confused, while Rex gaped at Weevil in shock. "Lovebug?" he almost sputtered. "Who the hell is '_Lovebug_'?"

"Kaiba," Tristan answered.

Weevil nodded vigorously.

"Wait," Tristan then blinked a couple times. "I got Kaiba's attention?"

"Yes! Now tell me how!"

Rex was positively seething, as he glared in rage at Weevil. "Are you outta your mind?!" he yelled. "How can you even consider that guy! He's a jerk! Look what he's putting us through!"

"Yeah, you tell him, hon'!" the waitress cheered. "Dump that creep!" she glared at Tristan again.

"They're not talking about me," Tristan called. At her crestfallen, not to mention annoyed, expression, the brunet smirked.

"Did you just say '_us_'?" Weevil gaped. "There's no 'us' getting put through anything!" he said, waving a fist at Rex. "Damnit, Rex, this isn't about cards, anymore! I'm not interested in his cards! I just want Seto Kaiba!"

"You... y-you idiot!" Rex spat, he was twitching with obvious fury now.

"Jerk!" Weevil shot back.

"Moron!"

"Creep!"

"_Reject_!"

"_Loser_!"

"Guys, guys...!" Tristan said loudly, pushing the boys back into their seats; they were almost clambering on top of the table, during their shouting match. "I'm getting enough stares, thanks. Just give me a little clarifacation, Weevil... what're you talking about?"

Weevil glared at him. "You caught my Lovebug's eye, I'm sure of it... tell me how you did it," he commanded.

"Must you keep calling him that?" Rex growled, almost to himself.

"Did what?" Tristan blinked. "I didn't do anything. What do you mean I caught his eye?"

"He has an interest in you! So tell me how you did it!"

"He has no interest in me," Tristan said slowly. "I mean, sure I see him around a lot." he paused, his eyes widening a fraction. He then shook his head quickly. "Uh, but that doesn't mean he's interested in me..."

"Lies!" Weevil shot to his feet, pointing at him, accusingly.

"I'm not lying. He's not interested in me; so what if he shows up wherever I am..? It-it doesn't mean..." Tristan paused again, eyes widening further. "No way. Can't be..." he murmured, confusion entering his features.

"You didn't see the look of hurt in my Lovebug's eyes, you idiot!" Weevil snapped. "When you asked me why you'd wanna touch him! He looked heartbroken! And _why_ don't you wanna touch him?"

"You _are_ an idiot!" Rex snapped. "If Tristan here has no interest in the guy, then quit asking him why! And _why_ would he have an interest in Kaiba anyways! He's smart, unlike _you_!"

Tristan could only furrow his brow thoughtfully.

"Butt out, neanderthal!" Weevil was bellowing. Then he turned back to Tristan, "you broke my Lovebug's heart! But you charmed him! And I wanna know how you did it!"

The older teenager sighed, looking back up at Weevil, "I didn't charm anyone..."

"Fine! I'll do it my way!" Weevil snarled, then he whirled around and dashed out of the cafe, his eyes glinting with sheer determination.

Tristan and Rex slowly turned to each other.

"What is he going to do?" the older guy asked.

"Do you really wanna know?" Rex mumbled.

Tristan quirked an eyebrow, "hm, thought so."

"Oi," Rex shook his head, and stood up. "You _are_ smarter than he is," with that, Rex started to stomp after Weevil again.

Shaking his head, Tristan got up, slapping some money on the table, and strolled after the pair. But not before shooting the waitress a satisfied grin. "His place," he explained, nodding after Rex.

She glared at him some more, calling him a two-timing creep again, as the door closed. Which Tristan gladly ignored, since it was just too funny to get mad at.

**TBC**

* * *

A/N: ... heheheh, I dunno... playing is fun. Very very fun, yes. Huh, reviews. Alright, thank you Omnimalevolet, Rice Kracker, mickeylover303, oreosarecool, MotherCHOWGoddess. Heh, as I said, it was Star who inspired this fic-idea. She once said Seto/Weevil, and yeah, couldn't get it outta my head, until now... and gosh, is it fun.


	3. Sing It, Weevil!

Disclaimer: Hehe, I just love repeating myself. Duo Maxwell says it isn't healthy... but it's fun. Heh, none of the characters in this fic are mine. Songs aren't mine either. Uh, yes, music again. I can't help it.

Warnings: same ol', same ol'... shounen-ai... mild language, probably mostly due to Kaiba... uh, other than that, nothing much. Heads up, dun like, dun read. Simple as that, ne?

Hm, this hits thing is interesting. Heh, out of 157 hits, only 45 went on to chapter 2... (_snickers_) either way, it's interesting. Thanks for giving this a chance to those 45. And thanks to the reviewers, as well: Omnimalevolent(heh, I'll try...), Aseret Kitsune(thanks ya), Rice Kracker(gosh, you leave kind reviews, thanks!), Kuramarulez(sorry, a sequel can't be in the works, I let that one go v.v;;), and Crescent Venus(heh... thanks so much for giving this a try.)

* * *

He felt it. A small pinprick of discomfort on the back of his neck; and like any other human being, Kaiba's first instinct was to slap at whatever was making him uncomfortable. It was summer after all, and mosquitos were always present at this time of year.

Upon the slapping, Kaiba ran his hand along his neck, rolling the little bugger into a small black lump in his palm. But it was too late, he felt the telltale itch that the little bugger managed to get under his skin.

"Damnit... Right on the neck?" he growled, scratching the back of his neck, in irritation. Damned mosquitos. May they burn, and die a horrible fiery death. And may they suffer even _more_ flames in _Hell_!

... Okay, maybe the mosquitos didn't deserve such a grisly fate (being squashed flat seemed bad enough), but Kaiba was on edge almost the entire afternoon. The glorious prospect of just going home was all too desirable. But then again, his company always seemed to fall apart when he wasn't present.

Every time, when he'd be at home, the phone would ring. And when he'd answer, all he would hear would be: "Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Kaiba! We can't wipe our asses without your consent..!"

Okay, that might be an exaggeration; but that was the gist. And he was on edge, who could blame him?

"Ah, screw it," he muttered, and got to his feet, to begin putting his paperwork in his briefcase. He was going home. True, security was keeping Underwood at bay, but even they had to go home once 5pm hit; and Kaiba couldn't help thinking evening security was too incompetent to trust fully. Therefore, at the moment, Kaiba knew that his 'safety' would only last for 3 more hours... Plus, he was barely getting any work done, while thinking about the little parasite.

He paused his packing, scratching the back of his neck again. Damnit, he hated mosquitos!

**oooXXXooo**

"Okay, I'm under the impression that he's gone insane in the span of ten minutes," Tristan said blandly.

Rex ignored the statement while he glared at Weevil, whom was humming cheerfully as he plugged in a stereo which acted as a small amplifier of sorts. Which could be hooked up to a mini-microphone. Which was exactly what Weevil was plugging into the little gadget.

"Karaoke?" Tristan wondered. Then, while pursing his lips, the lankier teen decided to give in and ask, "Weevil, what're you doing?"

"I'm going to serenade my precious Lovebug!" Weevil said, standing with pride.

"... I'm gonna rip Kaiba's head off," Rex growled, seemingly to himself.

Tristan raised an eyebrow at Rex, and smiled wryly. Strange how jealousy always brought out the worst in people. Well, in Rex's case, anyways. Most people wouldn't be so open with their jealousy.

It was a pity that Weevil was too infatuated to notice.

"Ahem... _anytime I need to see your face, I just close my eyes and I am taken to a place where your crystal mild and magenta feelings take up shelter at the base of my spine... sweet like a chicacherry cola_." Weevil sang out.

Tristan and Rex both sweatdropped, shoulders dropping, and eyes widening in disbelief. Damn, when'd he learn to sing so fast?

Weevil ignored the looks, as he sang into his mic. "_I don't need to try and explain, I just hold on tight, and if it happens again, I will move so slightly to the arms and the lips and the face of the human cannonball... I need to, I want to_."

And just then, Kaiba was exiting the building and he froze, staring at Weevil in shock. Then he actually took an instinctive step back, hugging his briefcase close, while glaring at the Bugboy.

"... _Come stand a little bit closer, breathe in and get a bit higher. You'll never know what hit you, when I get to you. Ooh, I want you, but I dunno if I need you, but ooh I'd die to find out. Ooh, I want you, but I dunno if I need you, but ooh I'd die to find out_." Weevil went on.

"He's saying all that in one breath, isn't he?" Rex said, staring in something resembling awe.

"Uh, yyyeah?" Tristan muttered, raising an eyebrow. To his amazement, Kaiba was staring at Weevil, rubbing the back of his neck. If Tristan's body language reading was correct, Kaiba seemed to be flattered?

Kaiba then descended down the steps of the building right up to Weevil.

Weevil had brightened, only to shriek, as Kaiba smacked him over the head with his briefcase.

"I said go to hell!" Kaiba snapped, then for a split-second his eyes met Tristan's, and in that instant, an unreadable expression flickered over his ice-blue eyes. But it was short-lived, as the CEO turned away, jacket once again billowing behind him, beautiful as before, making for a perfect exit.

Tristan blinked, what was that look for? He furrowed his brow, maybe his body language reading was off? Most flattered people always touched their neck. From his experiences anyways.

Rex was shaking his head, "Weevil..." he sighed, and ran to the shorter boy, helping him sit up.

Weevil sat up, frowning thoughtfully, while resting comfortably against Rex. Tristan glanced at them, then couldn't stop his small smile. Cute couple, he decided; Rex was frowning, and was obviously jealous yet concerned for Weevil's well-being. But Weevil, he seemed deadset on Kaiba. And even after Kaiba's violent reaction to being 'serenaded' to, the kid wasn't disheartened. If anything...

"Alright, I know what to do!" Weevil suddenly blurted, hopping back to his feet.

Rex scowled, and stood up as well. "Maybe back off," he suggested.

"Hell no!" Weevil declared. "If at first you don't succeed, keep trying 'til they break!"

"Uh, I don't think that's the right saying..." Tristan tried to argue. Only he was ignored, as Weevil darted after Kaiba, leaving his little 'karaoke' system.

"Damnit, if I didn't like him so much, I'd hit him," Rex growled.

"You _do_ hit him," Tristan reminded him, with an amused grin.

Rex snorted, "that's smacking... different thing entirely," then he sweatdropped. "Weevil! Wait up!" he yelled, and took off like a shot after the younger boy, only to pause, and glare back at Tristan. "Well?"

Tristan blinked, "well what?"

"Coming or not?"

"Uh, I think I should butt out now. None of this really has anything to do with me, and--" Tristan began, as he stepped back. That look Kaiba gave him was a bit unsettling. "All of this, it doesn't seem like my business either."

Rex dropped his head back, growling impatiently. Then he glared intently, and ran back to Tristan, grabbing his arm. "You're already involved, so don't try backing out now!" he snapped, and began dragging Tristan after him.

"How in the world did I get involved?" Tristan demanded.

"Weevil says Kaiba has the hots for you, therefore, you're involved!" Rex said, shortly.

"For the love of..." Tristan groaned, almost miserably.

**oooXXXooo**

Kaiba sighed, standing peacefully under the hot running water. Ah, nothing like a shower to help the stress go away. True a bath would have been nice too, but this was faster. And as anyone knows, Seto Kaiba really wasn't one for relaxing and taking it easy, oh no, certainly not.

He had plenty of things to do. He had to go pick up Mokuba from school. Had some books to drop off at the public library... oh yeah, and some paperwork to work on. Possibly not in his den. His den was too office-like. He may have been a CEO, but he was still a teenager; meaning he wasn't fond of being cooped up doing only one thing.

... But if it were technology, that was a different story entirely. He could spend an entire day just fiddling with a TV/DVD/VCR remote. Actually, he did once. His creation was a remote that could turn on, and control, every TV, DVD player, and VCR in the mansion. It was fun actually... well, for Mokuba it was, him being a troublemaker and all.

Humming ever-so softly, he stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his narrow well-muscled waist, while running his hand through his sopping red hair. Water ran down his body, getting caught on the terrycloth. Kaiba sighed, ignoring his obvious dampness, and leaned against the bathroom counter, his brow creasing slightly as he thought.

"_Why would I wanna touch him?_" Tristan had asked...

The redhead chuckled bitterly. Why indeed.

Whoa, that seemed awfully dark... Doesn't seem at all proper considering the previous moments. Thankfully, a strange, brighter sound rang out, to cut through the small veil of angst.

"_L, is for the way you Look at me_!" a disturbingly familiar voice sang.

Kaiba's head jerked up, eyes widening in alarm. Dear Ra, you've _got_ to be kidding!

"_O, is for the Only one I see! V, is Very, very extraordinary_!"

Kaiba stormed to the bathroom window, sliding it up and open. He gaped down below; Weevil was standing there, in a white tux, singing his head off. Forget singing his heart out, he was singing his lungs out. Kaiba frowned in irritation.

"_E, is Even more than anyone that you'll adore. And love, is all that I can give to you_!"

Kaiba had growled, as he turned away from the window, striding to the bathroom closet.

"_Love is more than just a game for two. Two in love can make it! Take my heart, but please don't break it_!" Weevil went on.

Kaiba came stalking back to the window, holding a bucket of ice-cold water.

"_Love was made for me and youuuuu_!"

_SPLASH!_

"Hit the road, you parasite!" Kaiba yelled down at him, and slammed the window shut.

Tristan and Rex, whom were hiding in the shrubs, sweatdropped and looked at each other again. "Well, that didn't go well, did it?" Rex mumbled.

"Didn't go well at all," Tristan smiled wryly. It was a bit complicated, Weevil sang that same song three times, this time being the fourth; he tried at a den's window, which was on the groundfloor, then the kitchen, also on the groundfloor. Then he decided to try Kaiba's bedroom, which was on the second floor. And each time he received no luck.

So out of desperation, Weevil tried a bathroom window. Out of how many others, Weevil actually caught Kaiba. So maybe he was destined to serenade the pretty redhead..?

But then again, Kaiba did throw water on the poor unsuspecting boy.

"Uh, the whole thing's kinda cute, in a twisted kinda way," Tristan commented.

Rex grabbed the front of Tristan's shirt, and pulled him close, glaring almost hatefully at him. "Touch him, and I will give you _such_ a pinch!" he said through clenched teeth.

Tristan blinked at the odd threat, then laughed. "No worries there, Rex, Weevil's not my type," he assured him, pushing the kid away, and smoothing the front of his shirt back down.

Weevil had just finished shaking the water from his hair, but again wasn't at all disheartened. "Ain't he neat?" he laughed almost to himself. "Alright, now I know!" he wore an almost manic grin. Then to Tristan and Rex's disbelief, Weevil was running for the front of the mansion. The front door perhaps.

"Uh-oh," they both uttered, and jumped out of their hiding place, chasing after the shorter teen. "Weevil! Weevil, wait!" they called frantically.

They were getting far too close to the front door for comfort. Thankfully, Tristan, with his longer stride, caught Weevil's white tux and jerked him back. "Weevil, you're lucky he only threw water at you! What do you think he'll do if you invite yourself into his house?" he hissed.

"I don't care! I don't care, I don't care, I don't care!" Weevil bellowed, kicking to free himself from Tristan's rather strong hold.

Then the front door opened. Kaiba was stepping out, hair still wet from his apparent shower, since that was where Weevil caught him. He had three books under his arm, as he walked to a blue convertible. His favorite vehicle apparently.

"Damn..." Tristan muttered, his eyes darting back and forth, his mind racing. It was a sure thing Kaiba would kill them if he caught Weevil still on his premisis. Finally, Tristan turned and shoved Weevil into Rex's arms, sending them both tumbling back into the shrubbery, Weevil on top of Rex...

Kaiba stopped, just at the passenger side of his car, and actually looked surprised to see Tristan. Which he quickly turned into a scowl, "what're you doing here?" he demanded.

Tristan swallowed, glancing at the shrubbery in the corner of his eye; no sign of Rex or Weevil. Only a soft groan-- hopefully it was a groan of pain, and not... the other thing.

Clearing his throat, Tristan hastily approached the passenger side of Kaiba's car, rubbing the back of his head, looking very uncertain. "Hey, uh, just, uh... well, thought I could, uh... well, I was in the neighbourhood..." he started to say quickly. Then he paused and snorted to himself, "heh, yeah, the rich part of the neighbourhood. I come here a lot... _riiight_," Tristan uttered, before shaking his head, "uh, but... I was kinda wondering if, y' know, if you could... uh, gimme a ride?" he finished, with a small cringe. Man, that sounded pathetic...

Kaiba's eyes widened very, _very_ slightly.

Tristan blinked, then soon realized what he just said sounded like some strange innuendo, so he cleared his throat. "Uh, in your car," he added quickly. "I wouldn't do the riding, anyways," he muttered under his breath. He had his pride, after all.

Now, now, Tristan...

Then to Tristan's amazement, Kaiba's cheeks turned a very, _very_ light shade of pink. He averted his eyes, scowling slightly. _Crap, he heard?_ the brunet wondered.

"Get in," Kaiba mumbled, as he walked around to the driver's side. Sighing quietly with relief, Tristan pulled open the door, and climbed into the convertible.

As Kaiba was putting the key in the ignition, Rex then poked his head out of the shrubbery, giving Tristan a questioning look.

"Get Weevil out of here," Tristan mouthed, waving his hand at him quickly.

Rex nodded, then ducked back into the shrubbery.

**oooXXXooo**

The ride was silent. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable, but it wasn't comfortable either. Like a ride from one of your friends' friends whom you barely had the chance to get to know. In all honesty, Tristan hated those kind of silences the most. It just never helped him decide where he stood with some people.

... Tristan wasn't popular, and he knew it. People either hated him, or liked him, there was no in-between. And he had the preference of knowing how people felt about him from the get-go. Sure Weevil said Kaiba 'liked' him, but Tristan couldn't exactly believe that. Sure it seemed obvious when he thought about it, but even the most obvious things weren't always accurate.

"Where are you going?" Kaiba asked quietly, staring straight ahead. But then again he was driving, that was to be expected.

"Uh, I don't really--" Tristan started to say. Then he saw familiar figure with silver hair. "Ah! Here! Here's fine! Stop!" he blurted out.

Kaiba sweatdropped, and quickly jerked the steering wheel to the right, pulling to the curb. He looked around in confusion. Collan St. where the public library was located...

Tristan offered him a small grin of thanks, and climbed out the car. "Thanks... uh, for the ride," he said uncertainly. Kaiba was looking at him again, in that unsettling way.

The CEO nodded slightly, and looked away, a small frown etching his features.

Pursing his lips, Tristan straightened up, turning to jog after Ryou Bakura. "Hey, Ryou!" he called, waving.

Ryou blinked, while looking back, then he smiled warmly. "Tristan, hey," he greeted, "how're you?"

"Uh, doing fine. Listen I have to talk to you," Tristan said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, looking rather nervous.

Ryou blinked again, "I have to do some stacking at the library," he said, holding up two library books he held as emphasis. "Can it wait?"

"Uh, no. No, it can't," Tristan said, shaking his head, while wordlessly taking the books from Ryou. "It-it's pretty important," he mumbled.

"Oh," Ryou furrowed his brow in concern. "Tristan, are you in trouble?" he asked worriedly.

"Uh, more or less..?"

Kaiba was glaring at the scene, eyes narrowing dangerously. Rumours, that's all he thought they were. But they seemed to be somewhat true: _Tristan and Ryou_. Growling softly, the redhead stepped hard on the gas, racing past and through the gutter that still held rainwater.

... Splashing Tristan, all the way to the waist.

Tristan cringed, closing his eyes for a moment. Why didn't he expect that? When he opened his eyes again, Ryou had his hands over his mouth, and was looking in the direction Kaiba had drove off in, his brown doe-eyes shining with surprise. Slowly, he brought his gaze back to Tristan.

"What did you do?" he breathed.

"That's what I need to talk to you about," Tristan sighed, lowering his head, lightly plucking at his suddenly damp jeans. Silently relieved that Kaiba never hit the books with water, otherwise Ryou would be in trouble.

Damn, Kaiba had good aim.

**TBC**

* * *

A/N: heheheh, the chapters keep getting longer... gomen...

Anywho, Ryou makes his appearance! Yeah, okay... assumed Protectshipping. I can't help it. But no, I won't lean that way(much as I'd love to, though). It's just assumed on Kaiba's part. I meant to end the chapter sooner, but I couldn't, I was on a roll, I guess. But yay, Ryou was introduced (_hugs Ryou-chan_) so adorable!


	4. Shhhhhh!

Disclaimer: Man, I wish I owned them. But I don't, since Kazuki Takahashi created 'em. So yeah, the YGO Characters are all his to do with what he pleases. Yep.

Warnings: Same as before. Same as before, yes yes. Shounen-ai, and language... mostly due to Kaiba. Yep. The fic has taken a turn. No longer... uhhh, me-ish... I dunno how else to put it. Sorry.

* * *

Ryou couldn't help blinking in confusion, as he pushed the trolley through the library's aisles, pausing occasionally to place a book on the shelf. With Tristan following close at his right side. He liked Tristan a lot, he was a good friend. But at the moment, he was a little too confusing to try and understand.

"--And then we followed, we hid in the bushes, while Weevil did his thing. And then after that he looked at me weird, _again_... and then I got a ride, and caught you here, and now here I am, and here you are, and you're looking at me like I'm nuts, so you're not understanding a word I'm saying, are you?" Tristan finished, with a small groan.

Ryou laughed slightly, "no, sorry."

Tristan sighed, shaking his head, "damnit, how can he..? It makes no sense."

"Tristan, perhaps you can start over?" Ryou asked, holding a book out for Tristan to take.

The brunet grimaced, as he took the book and studied the spine for a second, then he reached up and slid it in the higher shelf without a second thought. "What do you mean start over?" he asked.

Ryou smiled, absently thankful for Tristan's height. Then he turned back to his friend, pushing the trolley along. "Well, it didn't really make any sense--" he began.

"You're telling me," Tristan blurted loudly.

The old lady, who worked as the librarian, glared at Tristan for raising his voice. The brunet blinked at the woman's expression and smiled meekly in apology, and turned back to Ryou.

Ryou bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Um, I mean your whole story, I didn't get any of it," he smiled apologetically.

"Oh," Tristan blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Uh, put simply, Weevil likes Kaiba, and Weevil assumes Kaiba likes me. Problem is, why?"

"Why what?" Ryou blinked, while putting another book on the shelf.

"Why me?"

Ryou raised an eyebrow, "why are you surprised?"

"Why shouldn't I be?!" Tristan demanded, as loudly as before.

"Shhhhhh!" the old librarian hissed.

Tristan and Ryou sweatdropped; the taller of the two held up his hand in a placating gesture, while Ryou laughed quietly. Then he quickly bit his lip, and continued on his way to stack the shelves. Tristan grimaced, and caught Ryou up again. "Like I said, why me, Ryou? Answer me that, because I don't understand it at all," he stage-whispered.

"Well, you can't really blame him, can you?" Ryou said with a warm smile, placing another book in its place.

Tristan sweatdropped again, then he moved up half a step ahead of Ryou and caught the front of the trolley, halting Ryou's progress. "Wait wait wait, what? What do you mean? What?"

Ryou sighed, and placed his hand on his hip, giving Tristan a weary look, while tapping his hand against the trolley's handle. "Tristan, you can't blame someone for liking you, can you?"

"Sure I can, it's just-- wait, what?" Tristan looked blank.

The silverhair shot him a mysterious smile, as he playfully flicked Tristan's obscuring hand away, and he continued rolling along, into another aisle. Tristan stared after him for a second, and quickly followed again.

Ryou was speaking simply, "if he likes you, he likes you, it shouldn't be a big deal."

Tristan fell into step beside Ryou, "but that's the thing," Tristan said. "How and why? I really don't think I'm his type... well, I'm hardly anyone's type, and--"

Ryou wordlessly handed Tristan another book and pointed at the shelf where it belonged. And the taller boy put it up on the higher shelf, without question, and merely continued talking.

"--he's Seto Kaiba, I'm Tristan Taylor. Damn, see? Even the names are too damn different."

"Maybe because he's not from around here," Ryou smiled faintly.

"Ryou, that's beside the point," Tristan said blandly. "The guy has a crush on _me_!"

"Shhhhhhh!" the librarian hissed again, glaring her beady eyes at the brunet in agitation.

Ryou laughed again and proceeded ahead, as Tristan covered his mouth quickly. Lowering his hand, the lanky boy offered another uneasy smile of apology to the old woman, and hastily trailed after Ryou again.

"I just need you to tell me how and why, because that's the part I don't understand," Tristan whispered.

Ryou handed Tristan two more books. And same as before, after checking the spines of the books, Tristan placed them in their rightful places on the higher shelves. "Why are you letting it get to you?" asked Ryou.

"Because it's me," Tristan said, gesturing at himself. "People don't _like_ me, Ryou. Ask anyone."

"That's ridiculous, Tristan," Ryou rolled his eyes good-naturedly, continuing down the aisle. "I used to have a crush on you."

Tristan blinked, "you're kidding."

Ryou shook his head, "no, I'm not," he smiled, placing three books on the shelf. "And I don't think you can blame me either; I mean, you're handsome, sweet, polite, generous..." he paused, tapping his lower lip thoughtfully. "Hm, I wonder how I got over you."

Tristan could only gape at the silverhair. Then he shook his head quickly. "Huh. But I just... uh, that's new," he said slowly, then he couldn't help sighing. "But I don't... how many people know how I'm like anyways?"

"Very few," Ryou smiled wryly, patting Tristan's arm. "You're a little too personal. But let's just say that adds to your mystique, ne, Tris-chan?"

Tristan blinked a few more times, then smiled faintly at the affectionate naming. "Nice of you to say, Ryou," he said softly. "It's still a little weird though; people liking me, it's like... some weird forbidden concept or something."

"Hm, I think I know how I got over you," Ryou said, with a small grin.

"How?" asked Tristan, quirking an eyebrow.

Ryou lightly poked his chest, "you, sir, are a little slow on the uptake when people's feelings are involved."

"So, what? You gave up on me, because I was too dense to know you liked me?" asked Tristan, smiling wryly.

"That's probably exactly it, Mr. Taylor," Ryou said, with a mock mournful shake of his head. "But this time, you know someone likes you, but you suffer from low self-esteem to accept it, I'd say."

Tristan sweatdropped, then glanced down at the trolley, at the stack of books, and raised an eyebrow, as he closed the open '_Psychology for Beginners_' book, that sat on top of the stacks. "Huh, you were cheating, and reading, while I wasn't looking, weren't you?" he accused playfully.

Ryou laughed, "maybe a bit," he admitted. "Low self-esteem is on the first chapter."

"I do not have low self-esteem," Tristan said, giving Ryou a half-hearted look.

It was soon realized that the guy failed to notice Ryou's eyes widening a fraction, while looking past his arm. Then to Tristan's surprise, Ryou quickly lunged at him, throwing his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I'd love to, Tris-chan!" said Ryou, happily.

Tristan had quickly lifted his arms, holding onto Ryou, to avoid being knocked back, as he blinked in confusion, "huh?"

"Dinner sounds wonderful. Pick me up at 7, okay?" Ryou said, his arms draped over Tristan's shoulders, one hand clasping the other behind his neck, while staring up at him, almost lovingly.

Tristan blinked several times, as he tried to compute Ryou's bashful smile and adoring gaze. "Uh, wha--?" he started to ask. Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder, and he froze. Kaiba was standing right there, staring at the two of them, with wide blue eyes.

Then with a vicious glare at Ryou, Kaiba tossed some books on a table (all landing with rather loud THUNKs, since it was so quiet), and he turned, storming towards the exit.

Tristan felt like he was rooted in place. Good God, what just happened?

Ryou stepped back, letting out a small sigh. "I hope that was worth it," he murmured. Then he looked back up at Tristan, "what's wrong?"

"..." Tristan turned to Ryou, gaping at him with wide eyes. "What'd you do?" he choked out. "Ryou, what did you just do? Did you see him? Did you see? He's gonna..! He might...! Damnit, Ryou, he looked ready to kill!"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!" hissed the librarian.

Tristan's eye twitched with annoyance, as he turned to glare at the old woman. "Are you stalking me or something?" he demanded. She merely returned the glare, and walked away huffily.

Ryou laughed softly, despite his oncoming nervousness due to his earlier actions; which was emphasized with a semi-nervous gulp. "I know, bad idea, perhaps. But I'm hoping what I just did helps you out," he said, fiddling with his shirt sleeve, attracting Tristan's attention again.

"Huh?" Tristan's frowned, as he turned back to Ryou.

Ryou smiled at him, "sorry, Tristan, but jealousy is really very helpful in these situations."

Tristan dropped his head back, with an exasperated groan, while rubbing his face wearily. "Ryou, I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about you!" he said tiredly, dropping his hand to his side.

"I'll be fine. He just needs you to soothe him," Ryou shrugged.

"What?" Tristan blinked.

"He's jealous, Tristan. And in some crazy way, that usually means their feelings are pretty real," Ryou smiled. "After that sort of reaction, he really seems to like you, ne?"

Tristan blinked a few times. Then finally settled back on his heels, pointing at Ryou slightly. "You're a crazy guy... I ever tell you that?" he said, grinning weakly.

"No," Ryou laughed, "but I heard it enough times."

**oooXXXooo**

"Lovebug!"

"Beat it, you little parasite, or I swear, I'll break you in half!" Kaiba snarled.

"Oh, I can't stand to see you in such an unhappy state, Lovebug!" Weevil declared, staring at Kaiba with an apologetic gaze. "What's wrong?"

Kaiba growled quietly. "I am _not_ unhappy! And none of your business!"

"You're unhappy, Lovebug!" Weevil said, hugging Kaiba's arm in what was assumed to be a comforting manner. "Tell me all about it! Let me be there for you!"

"There's nothing to share!" Kaiba spat, trying to jerk his arm free. "Now let me go, before I have you shipped to the Himalayas!"

"... Is it about that moose, Taylor?"

Kaiba blinked in confusion. "Moose?" he echoed.

"How dare he! I knew he was bad news!" Weevil said, hopping up and down. "No one disrespects my beloved Lovebug without suffering the consequences! I'll feed him to my termites! My cockroaches! My _tarantula_!"

Kaiba frowned slightly, "are you paying attention to what you're saying, Parasite?" he asked dryly.

"Yes! I will make Taylor suffer the wrath of Weevil Underwood in Love!" Weevil paused, and looked thoughtful. Then he punched the palm of his hand. "I know! I'll humiliate him for the sake of my Lovebug's dignity!"

Kaiba blinked again, his confusion growing. Thus, unable to come up with a strong insult, the CEO's shoulders drooped slightly, as he stared at Weevil, expressionless. "You're an odd one, Parasite," he muttered.

And because it seemed appropriate, Tristan and Ryou were walking along. Tristan was talking, his hands sweeping and rotating in subtle yet frantic gestures, while Ryou smiled warmly at him, waving his own hand as if to say 'calm down'.

Weevil blinked, noticing that his sweet Lovebug was glaring almost hatefully at the pair. Ah, that had to be it! Tristan was intentionally making his darling Lovebug upset! Well then, despite his dear Lovebug's jealousy, Weevil could not have his Lovebug unhappy! Nosirree. His precious Lovebug needed closure, and soon! So, the noble Weevil would just have to show Lovebug that Tristan was just no-good. For the sake of his Lovebug's honor and dignity! Oh, and as well as closure!

Weevil nodded firmly, as he set his jaw in determination, and stormed towards Tristan and Ryou.

Kaiba blinked several times, as his hands were beginning to twitch. Damnit, it was bad enough he actually made a scene, but to have the little Parasite humiliate him further? He quickly followed to stop from any embarrassing scenarios...

"How dare you upset my sweet Lovebug!" Weevil practically shrieked, while pointing at both Kaiba, his Lovebug, and Tristan, the Cad.

Tristan's eyes widened slightly, as Ryou blinked... rather cutely, in confusion.

Kaiba froze, his hand outstretched, just an inch from dragging Weevil away; or throwing him aside, he hadn't decided which. His eyes widened in something resembling horror. Dear Ra, no... he groaned, and rested his face in his hand, turning to leave.

Until Weevil grabbed onto his sleeve. And actually managed to _hold_ him there.

"Apologize to my Lovebug!" commanded Weevil.

Tristan pursed his lips and rubbed the back of his neck, looking at Ryou helplessly.

Ryou blinked, then he smiled and hugged Tristan's arm. "Tris-chan has nothing to apologize for," he said, in a sugary sweet tone.

Weevil easily caught the annoyed twitch of his Lovebug's right eye, as he glared at Ryou. The Bugboy quickly turned back to Tristan, "you cruel monster!" he all but bellowed.

Tristan groaned softly, as he dropped his head forward. How, oh how, did he get involved in all this?

"My Lovebug is upset because of you!"

Ryou almost looked ready to laugh. "Why is 'Lovebug'--?" he started to ask.

"Only I can refer to him as such!" Weevil snapped, cutting in.

"Shut up with the stupid 'Lovebug'!" Kaiba snarled, raising his fist to punch the Parasite on the head.

"You _do_ seem upset, Kaiba," Ryou commented, subtly snuggling closer to Tristan. "Is something bothering you?"

Intended violence towards Weevil was soon forgotten, as Kaiba glared back at Ryou, growling low in his throat. The willowy silverhair would be lying if he said he didn't feel a hint of nervousness and intimidation from the taller teen. To his relief, Tristan turned slightly to the left, angling to push Ryou back a bit, behind him, everso slightly.

Such an act, that was in all honesty, painfully familiar, didn't go unnoticed for Kaiba. His glare was intensified by about ten-fold.

"Apologize, apologize, apologize!" Weevil was screeching, while hopping up and down in growing irritation.

Tristan furrowed his brow, pondering on whether or not to sypathize with the kid, or just smack him and shut him up. Sighing, he struggled to ignore the rising discomfort that radiated between Kaiba and Ryou, as he tried to choose an option on how to deal with Weevil.

"Our plans for tonight, Kaiba?" Ryou asked quietly. "Is that bothering you?"

"..." Kaiba had to bite his tongue, to prevent from lashing out at Ryou. Deep down, he didn't want Tristan to think he was _that_ big of a bastard. Tristan was known for being protective of his friends, after all. 'Frail little' Ryou was no exception.

"You can come with us," Ryou suggested, closing his eyes, as he smiled cheerfully.

Kaiba's eyes widened, as did Tristan's, and they both gaped at Ryou.

Ryou let Tristan's arm go, as he clapped his hands together, still smiling in that disarmingly warm way. "I'm sure Tristan wouldn't mind extra company," he said brightly. "And if Weevil _is_ right, and you _are_ upset, we certainly can't leave you sitting at home alone tonight, while Tristan and I are out, having fun, ne?"

_Ah-ha! A way for Lovebug to have closure_, Weevil thought with delight. "Sure! It'll be a double date!" he said enthusiastically. He grinned deviously, as he pushed his glasses up his nose; what better way for his Lovebug to have closure, than to have that moose embarrass himself?

Kaiba and Tristan stared at Weevil doubtfully. Whereas Ryou continued to smile sweetly, as he patted Weevil's shoulder. "Of course, a double date, why not?" he said cheerfully. "It sounds like fun."

"Then we accept," said Weevil, as he latched himself onto Kaiba's arm.

"I never agreed to anything!" Kaiba spat, trying to pull out of Weevil's grasp.

Tristan sighed softly, until Ryou quickly latched onto his arm, as if to counter Weevil. The amazing thing was, Ryou was still smiling in his bright and happy way. "Oh, that's fine, too, it'll just be me and Tris-chan then. _Alone_," he said, simply. Though, to Tristan's surprise, some smugness had leaked into Ryou's tone.

It had the desired effect: Kaiba's eyes narrowed dangerously, as he glared at the loving gesture. "Fine," he practically growled. "I'm in. What time?"

"Tonight, at 7, is that alright?" Ryou said, smiling innocently.

"Perfect." Kaiba turned, and stormed off. Weevil yelped, since he was still clinging to Kaiba, thus dragged along.

**oooXXXooo**

"I really hope you know what you're getting into, Ryou," Tristan said slowly. As soon as he felt the feisty redhead's oncoming rage, he had actually began to get ready to try and fend off Kaiba if he needed to.

It was kind of flattering. In a weird kinda way.

Ryou laughed, almost shakily, "just don't leave me alone with him... he's starting to scare me now."

Tristan gave Ryou a small grin, "you _are_ pushing it."

"He just needs to keep up, that's all," Ryou said with a shrug, and wore a tight smile. Then he relaxed slightly. "Remember, 7pm, don't be late."

"How am I going to carry around 2... uh, 3 other people, when all I have is my bike?"

"We'll walk, downtown's not that hard," Ryou waved his hand carelessly. "Dress nicely too," he added, as he patted Tristan's arm, and wandered away.

Tristan blinked, looking down at his slowly drying bluejeans and black buttondown shirt. Something nice? Then he blinked again. What were they going to do as their 'double date', anyways? Dinner seemed to be out...

**TBC**

* * *

A/N: Myeh, the humor's been watered down, not even funny, I didn't grin once... which is weird. It's like some weird... weird, weird, weird thingie of shounen-ai... but then again, when is any of my shounen-ai not weird? Ah well, win some lose some. And goodgosh, Gai/Lee has a nice theme. Sasuke and Naruto get to share it too XD Oi, sorry... shutting up, heh.


	5. A Reason to Sing

Disclaimer: Nyaaah, not my characters, I just play with 'em, heh. And the songs aren't mine either, nope. But I do listen to 'em, and I do like 'em. '_Eye2Eye_', was sang by Tevin Campbell. '_Not Like the Other Girls_', was by The Rasmus. And '_What's New Pussycat_', was sung by Tom Jones. Heh, yep.

Warnings: ... Shounen-ai, that's it... uhhhh, mild cursing due to Kaiba, as always. Use of alcohol too. My bad, but ah well. Don't drink and drive. Yeah. Slump Slump Slump Slump! Damn thee! Make me get bored, nyeh! (_chases Yasuo with an axe_) Dieeeeeeee!

_Yasuo_: bwahahahahahahaha! Loser! (_runs_)

* * *

"Karaoke?" Kaiba and Ryou said, slowly.

Tristan sweatdropped, and glanced down at Weevil. "This is a bar, Weevil..." he told him, with a small scowl. "As in they serve alcohol here..."

"Yes..." Weevil nodded, "I know."

Kaiba, Tristan, and Ryou stared at the little guy in disbelief. He couldn't be serious. The four of them? In a Karaoke bar? Bad off-key singers, booze, and possible chance of getting busted, then arrested? Not exactly the kind of night any of them were expecting.

But then again, before, during, and after the stroll towards their current destination, it couldn't really be surprising that they might have to embarrass themselves in a Karaoke Bar... since that seemed to be the main event for the evening.

Ah, to those that might be curious: things had not gone well, or wasn't going well, for the four of them. Ryou's constantly irritating Kaiba thus vague guilt, Tristan's attempts to ignore Weevil, Kaiba's trying not to react violently to both Ryou and Weevil, and Weevil's trying to appear a manly man in order to prove himself worthy of being with sweet Lovebug.

Ryou was getting a little more nervous as time went on, but he continued with his hugging of Tristan, holding him, playfully kissing his cheek, whatever it took. Kaiba's glares were getting harder, and colder, but Ryou continued to push. If only Kaiba weren't so bloody stubborn, he wouldn't have to endure his current jealousy... my my my, Ryou really could be a devious one, without really trying...

Tristan didn't mind Ryou's affectionate gestures, in all honesty. In fact, he rather liked it, they always hugged each other, held each other, leaned on each other... hm, it was no wonder there were a few rumors about _them_ going around. Not that Tristan felt any of it was justified, Ryou was just really... well, cute and cuddly, if you will. For him, the night wasn't so bad. Except for Weevil buzzing around like an annoying bug, still trying to convince Tristan to apologize...

And during that time, Kaiba was _really_ trying not to smack around Weevil, or lunge at Ryou. He was still trying to appear Cool and Collected. The epitome of Calm. Until he saw Tristan, wearing a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, a rather formfitting ensemble, and his red and black biker jacket. When Ryou playfully scolded him about 'not dressing nice', Tristan had explained his 'nice' clothes were being loaned to his sister's boyfriend. At Ryou's suggestion of Tristan going back to try and find something else, Kaiba had blurted that Tristan didn't need to, that he looked _more_ than fine(with the emphasis). To his embarrassment.

... Weevil was trying desperately to hang onto Kaiba, but his Lovebug was not making the task a simple one. The Bugboy found himself wishing that once, just once, things would be easy for him. Hell, it was hard enough trying to get Rex to leave so he could get ready for his date. Damn neanderthal had dropped himself on Weevil's bed, arms folded, refusing to leave. They had spent the duration of Weevil's getting-ready time bickering about Kaiba. Finally in a burst of annoyance and impatience,Weevil called Rex a 'perverted neanderthal', before stripping down to his boxers, and running to his closet, pulling out the neatest clothes, got dressed, and fled from the room.

... He failed to notice Rex's red-faced expression.

"... I'm pretty sure you're not 21, Weevil," Tristan was saying sarcastically, as he folded his arms.

Weevil smiled wickedly. "What's the matter, Taylor? Scared?" he taunted.

At that, Kaiba and Ryou sweatdropped, and they took a step back. Tristan, nice guy, yes, but he really wasn't one to taunt, especially by someone so... small; even Kaiba knew that, though he wasn't all that close to Yugi's circle.

Tristan had blinked, then he frowned, "scared of what?" he snapped.

"Scared of being shown up by a _real_ man in front of Lovebug!" Weevil said, smugly folding his arms.

"You? A real man?" Tristan laughed, in disbelief. Then he glared at Weevil, "that's a good one... I've probably been in more bars than you... no, _obviously_ I've been in more bars than you."

Kaiba and Ryou glanced at each other, and rolled their eyes.

"Oh yeah? Prove it, get into _this_ bar..." challenged Weevil.

"I _can_ get in, I've been here before... it's you I'm concerned about, runt," Tristan said, through gritted teeth.

"Um, pardon me," Ryou said, laying a comforting hand on Tristan's arm. "What about me and Kaiba? Should we sit outside, while you and Weevil attempt to get into this bar to drink yourselves stupid?"

"I've been here plenty of times, getting you in'll be easy, Ryou..." Tristan said, shrugging, with a small glare at Weevil. Then he nodded towards Kaiba, "and he can get in on his own, no sweat."

"What do you say, Lovebug?" Weevil said, smiling sweetly at Kaiba.

"... I don't care," Kaiba snorted, as he folded his arms, looking away, and closing his eyes in irritation. "This is stupid, either shut it and let's go now, or don't."

"Once again, Kaiba settles things in a calm andprofessional manner," Tristan smiled slightly. He draped his arm around Ryou's shoulders, and lead him towards the entrance. "Kaiba can get you in, Weevil," Tristan said over his shoulder, with a smirk.

Kaiba twitched again, as Ryou smiled sweetly at him, while wrapping his arm around Tristan's waist. "Coming?" he called, cheerfully.

Growling once again, Kaiba stomped after the pair, grabbing Weevil by the back of his shirt, and dragging him to the entrance as well. Damnit, the things he did for lov... the things he did for Tris... damnit, the things he had to do!

**oooXXXooo**

"Evening, Horace," Tristan greeted, with a smile.

"Tris', hey..." the big guy, Horace, greeted with a grin. Then he raised an eyebrow at Ryou, "replace Wheeler or something?" he asked, blandly.

Ryou smiled sweetly, "my name's Ryou..." he said, shaking the bouncer's hand.

Horace grinned, "cute _and_ innocent looking... now I _have_ to ask... ID?"

Luckily for Ryou, lying was like second nature for him. "Not on me, right now..." he pouted. "Tris-chan took it on me, and won't give it back."

"... Tris', give him the ID..." Horace said, glaring at Tristan.

"Left it at home," Tristan shrugged.

Horace scowled, staring hard at Tristan. He was a good kid, he never caused trouble; in fact he was always the mediator for his drinking buddies, keeping them from starting brawls... And the silver-haired kid looked nothing like the cute punk Wheeler... obviously not the type to try and fight every 3 minutes... Maybe it was good that Tris' replaced drinking buddies. Horace nodded slightly, waving them through.

Tristan nodded once in thanks, and lead Ryou in. He paused, waiting to help Kaiba... and Weevil... if he had to.

"ID?" Horace asked, sweatdropping at the little guy in the grasp of a tall, good-looking redhead. The bouncer was sure it would be considered a sin, if he didn't think the blue-eyed guy wasn't hotter than hell.

"Don't have the need for one, let me in," Kaiba said, bluntly.

Horace sweatdropped again. "Pardon?"

"This little Parasite's with me... now let me in, he's a pain in the ass, and I need a drink," Kaiba went on, still speaking in a blunt manner, with a deadpan expression.

Weevil merely hung there, just barely managing to keep his toes on the floor, as he grinned weakly at the bouncer. Then as he was scrutinized, Weevil coughed, and pushed up his glasses.

"..." Horace shrugged, and waved them through. He saw no need to get on some babe's bad side. Especially a moody looking babe.

Kaiba nodded, and dropped Weevil, walking in. Weevil shot back to his feet. "Lovebug! Thank you! I'll continue worshipping the ground you walk on!" he declared, trailing after the CEO, his coal-black eyes shining with tears of adoration.

"Wow... impressive," Tristan commented, with a smile, as Kaiba and Weevil rejoined them.

Kaiba blinked, and looked away... almost out of embarrassment... he even appeared shy.

Ryou raised an eyebrow. That was an interesting sign. But Kaiba was moving far too slow for the silverhair's tastes. He definitely needed more pushing. So Ryou smiled, cuddling against Tristan, soon earning himself another of Kaiba's patented glares. "Well, he has his way of doing things... you have yours," he said, trying to ignore the dirty look.

**oooXXXooo**

"Pretty dead tonight," Tristan commented, leaning back in his chair.

No one answered. Kaiba was too busy downing his vodka blackberry cooler. Ryou was peering into his bottle of hard lemonade... and Weevil... well, Weevil, was staring at his glass of HolyWater, from almost every angle, eyes wide with drunken fascination, at the clear and dark blue alcohol.

Tristan had to grin slightly. Only an hour of drinking, and he already had interesting company.

Kaiba was a grumpy yet placid drunk, cursing whenever he thought a 'damn' was needed. Ryou was a giggly happy drunk. Surprisingly, he and Kaiba were getting along, almost pleasantly. Weevil was a 'he's drunk?' drunk, one whom you couldn't tell was drunk until he walked/staggered or spoke. Weevil was continuing trying to win over Kaiba. Always running(which soon turned to staggering after his second HolyWater. '_Definite light-weight_' Tristan had thought), to the bar to get his beloved Lovebug more coolers. About 7, or 8 times... Tristan counted the bottles, yeah, 8 times.

"_... if we listen to each other's hearts  
we'll find we're never too far apart  
and maybe love is the reason why  
for the first time ever  
we're seeing it eye-to-eye...  
seeing it eye-to-eye  
for the first time  
seeing it eye-to-eye_" a drunken 30-something year old man sang. Badly.

"Booo!" Ryou called, laughing. "Get off the stage, you bum!"

"You suck!" Kaiba yelled.

Tristan sweatdropped, while Ryou giggled drunkenly, as Kaiba made a move to throw one of his empty bottles up on the stage, at the singer. Tristan quickly reached over, snatching back the bottle; the odds of Kaiba actually _hitting_ the guy were slim, but that was a risk he couldn't take.

Ryou leaned his cheek into his hand. "Tris-chan, you're not drunk..." he slurred.

"On just my second beer? I should hope not," Tristan smiled.

"Damnit, is getting one damn good singer, so damn hard?" Kaiba grumbled, as he slammed his now-empty bottle down against the table. "Parasite!" he called.

Weevil looked up from his drink, "yes, Lovebug..?"

"I'm out."

"I love you too!"

"Not funny, I'm out, damnit."

"Of the closet?"

"Parasite!" Kaiba bopped Weevil over the head.

"Alright, alright..." Weevil stood up, staggering and weaving his way towards the bar, yet again.

"You should be a little nicer, Kaiba," suggested Tristan, with a small grin.

"Yeah," Ryou nodded. "He's kinda good, in a good kinda way... he's kinda cute... in a cute kinda way..." he paused, brow furrowing, then he glanced at Tristan, "did any of that make any sense, Tris-chan?"

Tristan had to try not to laugh, "uhhhh, yeah..."

"I can't be nice... damnit, do you know who I am..?" Kaiba said, sourly. "Seto Kaiba... Seto Kaiba isn't nice, at all, damnit... can't be damn nice, just because damn people want me to be..."

"I think you're nice," said Ryou, awkwardly patting Kaiba's head.

"Don't lie to me, damnit," Kaiba grumped, brushing Ryou away.

Weevil returned, sitting the cooler in front of Kaiba. "Lovebug, I'm going to sing..." he said, wavering slightly, so much that Tristan had to hold out his hand to steady the boy.

"Go go... I don't care, go, damnit... you brought me my drink, so go." Kaiba replied, waving Weevil away, as he took a drink.

Weevil nodded, pushing Tristan's hand aside, as he started trying to make his way to the stage. Only to stagger and fall against a table.

Before the drunken customers of the table could get _really_ angry, Tristan quickly got up, and went to help the Bugboy straighten up. As the man stood up, looking ready to pulverize the inebriated duelist, Tristan handed him some money to pay for more beer to replace the ones Weevil spilled, which quickly settled matters. The simple and logical act impressed Kaiba and Ryou easily.

"Damn, he's amazing," Kaiba mumbled.

"Isn't he?" Ryou smiled. "I like him."

"Don't like him," said Kaiba, glaring hazily at his new drinking companion.

"Huh?"

"Don't like him, damnit... I don't want you to like him."

Amazingly, somewhere in the drunken fog of Ryou's mind, he remembered his original task. "How come I can't like him?" he asked, still leaning his cheek heavily against his hand.

"Because..."

"Tell me."

"... Don't like him."

"How come?"

Kaiba was taking a long drink of his cooler, before sitting it back on the table. Then he wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand, "don't like him, damnit..."

"Tell me how come..." said Ryou, smiling crookedly.

"Because... I want him," Kaiba's eyes were glazed over, as he scowled at his drink. "Don't like him, Bakura... I want him... a lot."

Ryou smiled brightly, despite his drunk state. "Then tell him..." he said, patting Kaiba's arm. "I told Tris-chan I liked him once... he didn't care... it won't bug him... he doesn't care about crap like proper sociesty..."

"... Society," Kaiba corrected... even while drunk, he tried to be eloquent.

"Yeah... that," Ryou nodded.

A soft piano's tune began to play; Weevil's performance was about to begin. Then a strong guitar joined the tune played, along with drums and bass. Wow, rock music-like...

"Dedicated to my Lovebug!" Weevil declared beforehand, "sweet Seto Kaiba!"

"Oh, now you say my damn name, Parasite?" Kaiba said, sounding annoyed, which almost bordered on whining.

Weevil waved, and began to sing:  
"_No more blame  
I am destined to keep you sane  
gotta rescue the flame  
gotta rescue the flame in your heart  
no more blood  
I will be there for you, my love  
I will stand by your side  
the world has forsaken my girl_!"

"Girl?" Kaiba squawked, and stood up, waving a fist. "Are you calling me a damn girl, Parasite! The hell you thinking, damnit! Are you nuts? You _are_ nuts, damnit!"

Ryou giggled, and pulled Kaiba back down into his seat. "Shhhhhh, let 'im sing..." he told him, through his snickering.

"_Should have seen it would be this way  
should have known from the start  
what she's up to  
when you've loved and you lost somone  
you know what it feels like to lose_..."

Weevil then hit the chorus:  
"_She's fading away  
away from this world  
drifting like a feather  
she's not like the other girls  
she lives in the clouds  
and talks to the birds_..."

"Only once!" Kaiba yelled. Tristan, whom was waiting by the stage to help Weevil back to the table, blinked, then grinned slightly. _Good to know_, he thought, in amusement.

"_Hopeless little one  
she's not like the other girls I know_."

"Maybe 'cause I'm not a damn girl, Parasite!" Obviously, Kaiba was not happy at the moment.

"_No more shame  
she has felt too much pain in her life  
in her mind, she's repeating the words  
only love you put out will return to you  
should have seen it would be this way  
should have known from the start  
what she's up to  
when you loved and you've lost someone close to you  
you know what it feels like to lose._"

And Weevil was once again back at the chorus.

"_She's fading away  
away from this world  
drifting like a feather  
she's not like the other girls  
she lives in the clouds  
and talks to the birds  
hopeless little one  
she's not like the other girls I know_."

"Because I'm not a girl, Parasite!" Kaiba yelled, waving a fist, once again trying to get to his feet. But Ryou was surprisingly tough, holding Kaiba by his shoulder, thus in his chair. That, and Kaiba was pretty drunk, so his motor functions weren't at their best...

"One more time...!" Weevil called. "Everybody sing for my Lovebug, Seto Kaiba!" Amazingly, there were a few drunken people who actually sang along:

"_She's fading away  
away from this world  
drifting like a feather  
she's not like the other girls  
she lives in the clouds  
and talks to the birds  
hopeless little one  
she's not like the other girls he knows_..!"

"Alla ya, shut up, damnit!" Kaiba bellowed. "Do I look like a damn girl to you, huh? Damn idiots!"

**oooXXXooo**

Tristan had to struggle not to laugh. If he were with Joey or Devlin, or anyone else, his patience would have been at its limits. But Kaiba, Ryou, Weevil, they weren't that bad to look after. Ryou listened because he considered Tristan to be his best friend. Weevil did _try_ to defy Tristan, but the Bugboy was more than easy enough to overpower, and if he _did_ know Judo, he was too drunk to initiate a fight. And Kaiba... he was almost eager to please Tristan, despite his grumpyness.

Three times Weevil tried to run away, cackling madly about making his Lovebug catch him. And three times Tristan told Ryou and Kaiba to stay put, and took off after the kid, to carry him back. Three times Kaiba smacked Weevil when he was brought back, and three times Ryou tried to comfort Weevil, though Weevil was too drunk to even _need_ comforting...

Now, as they were making their way home, Ryou's apartment being the first stop, Tristan trailed behind the drunken trio, in case one of them did something. Clearly, he was more sober than all of them, since he didn't even finish his second beer. Back at the bar, Kaiba seemed ready to punch someone in the face, so the obvious option was to play 'baby-sitter'. And leave.

Kaiba was in vaguely better spirits out in the open air. He was still frowning, and he was being held up by Ryou and Weevil who were on both sides of him; but to be fair, Kaiba was keeping them on their feet as well. The only way to tell Kaiba was a little more cheerful was the fact that he was... singing.

"_What's new, pussycat?_" Kaiba, Ryou, and Weevil sang loudly. "_Whoa whoa whoa whoa._"

Tristan pursed his lips, and said nothing.

"_What's new pussycat? Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.  
Pussycat pussycat  
I've got flowers  
and lots of hours  
to spend with you  
so go and powder your cute little pussycat nose  
pussycat pussycat, I love you  
yes, I do  
you and your pussycat nose_..."

Tristan sweatdropped, and looked around, in case someone would call the police to complain about a trio of drunk teenagers disturbing the peace. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone around.

"_What's new pussycat? Whoa whoa whoa whoa.  
What's new pussycat? Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.  
Pussycat pussycat  
you're so thrilling  
and I'm so willing  
to care for you  
so go and make-up your big little pussycat eyes  
pussycat pussycat, I love you  
yes, I do  
you and your pussycat eyes_..."

"Matte..!" Ryou suddenly interrupted, rather loudly. "Gomen, gomen... demo... dare da..? Who's the kawaii neko we're singing to?"

Tristan smiled slightly, he made sure to make a mental note of that: Drunk Ryou often allowed _some_ of his other language to slip into his speech.

"What'd you call me?" Weevil demanded, teetering slightly, as he tried to scowl at Ryou, only his gaze was a little too far to the right to meet Ryou's eyes.

"Damnit... Parasite no baka..." Kaiba grumbled. "'Matte' means 'wait', Parasite," he explained, with a glare. All he did was glare while intoxicated apparently. "And... 'gomen' means 'sorry'..."

"You know that language?" Weevil stared in awe.

"Where do you think I'm from, Parasite?" Kaiba snapped.

"Yosh!" Ryou cut in again, loudly, trying not to giggle. "Let's just sing again, ne? Kaiba-kun's getting maaad...! Ikou!" he punched the air, enthusiastically.

Kaiba looked blank for a second. Then he turned, and pointed at Tristan, "we're singing to him..." he said, his tone firm. "No bitching either... I won't tolerate bitching, even if I like you, damnit."

Tristan blinked and sweatdropped, unable to think of a reply. And Ryou burst out laughing, while Weevil just stared straight ahead at nothing, humming a tuneless tune.

"Hidoi!" Ryou said, trying to look appalled. Only to giggle again, "anou..? Yappari! Tris-chan's Pussycat, ne?"

Kaiba nodded, "let's go," he ordered. And the trio staggered ahead a bit. Shaking his head, Tristan picked up his pace to walk a little closer to his new charges for the evening.

"_What's new pussycat? whoa whoa whoa whoa.  
What's new pussycat? whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.  
Pussycat pussycat  
you're delicious  
and if my wishes  
can all come true  
I'd soon be kissing your sweet little pussycat lips  
pussycat pussycat, I love you  
yes, I do  
you and your pussycat lips, whoa whoa whoa  
you and your pussycat eyes, whoa whoa whoa  
you and your pussycat nose_."

Now that the song was done, it was quiet for a very longtime. Except for the occasional mutter from Weevil. Once in front of Ryou's apartment building, Ryou pulled Kaiba down to his height, and whispered, rather loudly, yet he was slurring a bit, so it wasn't easy to understand.

Tristan raised an eyebrow, as Kaiba nodded; he seemed to understand Ryou's jumbled whispering.

"Don't forget," Ryou said, firmly. Which Kaiba tried to scoff at, which came out more like a squeaky mumble. Ryou giggled in amusement, and waved at Tristan, after patting Weevil on the head. He was trying to stroll casually towards the door. And he managed pretty well, but putting his key in the lock took a little more effort.

Once Tristan was sure Ryou's super would take care of him, he continued helping Kaiba and Weevil along. The walk was pretty much silent on the way to Kaiba's mansion. The alcohol's tiring effect must have been kicking in... _thankfully_, Tristan thought.

"Lovebug... why don't you love me?" Weevil suddenly asked. The question caused Tristan to cringe.

"Because I hate you." Ah Kaiba, nice and straight to the point, despite his befuddled brain.

"But why don't you love me?"

"Because I hate you."

Tristan rolled his eyes heavenward. _Please, help_, he prayed to the stars. _I really, really don't need to listen to this kinda argument now_.

"Weevil!"

The three of them turned, only it took a couple more seconds for Kaiba and Weevil, and they saw Rex Raptor, he was running up to them, stopping short of crashing into Kaiba. He glanced at Weevil, then scowled, already noting that the Bugboy was swaying slightly. He was drunk, just as the bouncer explained...

"You twisted bastard! He's only 16, and you get him wasted?" Rex then glared accusingly at Kaiba, as he reached up to jam his finger against the taller guy's nose.

And to Rex's... well, amazement, really... the 'serious and stoic' CEO went cross-eyed, trying to look at the finger on his nose.

"It was Weevil's idea," Tristan told Rex, pushing Kaiba behind him, so as to avoid Kaiba's drunken temper. _Very_ placid, yes, but the redhead could get annoyed if the right buttons were pushed. "I'm not drunk, so I took care of them, don't worry."

Rex stared hard at Tristan, seeing his eyes were way more sharper than the hazy stares he was receiving from Kaiba and Weevil.

Nodding slightly, Rex reached over and grabbed Weevil, whom was standing a little _too_ near Kaiba for his liking, yanking him over. Weevil sagged heavily against Rex. "Heeey, Rexy!" the Bugboy greeted, with a wide grin, poking his cheek. "I sang... I kicked ass... you shoulda seen me."

"You're going home," Rex said, sternly. "Stupid moron, why'd you go do something stupid?" he griped, as he pulled Weevil's arm around his shoulders to help him walk.

"Because I am a man!" Weevil declared, stumbling a bit.

"You're a drunken idiot!"

"_You're_ a drunken idiot..."

"I'm not drunk!"

"... No, _you_ are!"

"Shut up, and walk! You think I like waiting up for you..?"

Tristan grinned slightly, as Rex showed his own special way of caring by lecturing Weevil.

"Yeah... I think they'll be okay," he then commented. Suddenly Kaiba flung his arms around Tristan's neck, leaning heavily against his chest. Tristan froze, eyes widening. "Wh-what's wrong?" he asked, holding onto Kaiba's waist to keep their balance.

Kaiba's eyes were shining... repressed tears. Tristan saw them often enough in Joey's eyes. But the question was why were there tears in the first place? "Stay," Kaiba practically whispered.

Tristan blinked, "huh?"

"Stay with me... tonight."

"... Let's get you inside..." Tristan mumbled, averting his eyes. Even while drunk, Kaiba still looked at him in that unsettling way.

**oooXXXooo**

"... I like you."

Tristan went rigid. His heart pounded a little harder, but he quickly pushed that feeling down. Drunk talk, how many times had he heard Joey declare "I love you, man!"? And Devlin's asking for "one-night stands for the hell of it."? Too many, so being told he was liked, that wasn't anything too drastic.

... Tell that to his heart which refused to settle down.

Tristan helped Kaiba sit on his bed, then he knelt down to take off Kaiba's shoes.

"I like you, Tristan," Kaiba said again, a little more confidently.

Tristan never answered, as he removed the shoes, and tossed the pair over his shoulder, where they thunked against the floor. "Lay down," he commanded quietly, as he stood back up.

"No, listen to me!" Kaiba grabbed his wrist, pulling him back down. "I like you!"

"... I am listening," Tristan snapped. "But you're drunk, and you don't know any better!"

"... You don't... listen..." Kaiba lowered his head, his expression hidden by his thick bangs.

"Go to sleep, Kaiba..." Tristan said, swallowing thickly. Damnit, how can someone as cold-hearted as Kaiba manage to look so heartbroken? "You don't like me. You're drunk... nobody likes me, it's how it works," he said.

"Then consider me a nobody!" Kaiba growled. He stood up, grabbing Tristan by his neck, pulling him close, capturing his mouth in an eager, and very sloppy kiss. Tristan's eyes widened, as he jerked back slightly. Sharp intensity was once again in Kaiba's cold blue eyes.

"... Sober already?" asked the brunette, slowly.

"... Urasai," Kaiba mumbled, pulling Tristan close again. Tristan furrowed his brow, as he wrapped his arms around Kaiba's waist, kissing him softly. Kaiba wrapped one arm around the brunette's neck, leaving his other hand to rest against Tristan's chest, where he felt his heart pounding hard. Pleased, Kaiba parted his lips, allowing Tristan to deepen the kiss. Which Tristan gladly took advantage of, dipping his tongue into the hot mouth of the CEO, to have Kaiba's tongue stroke against his.

Slowly they parted, eyes closed for a moment. Soft panting was all that could be heard. "I... I, uh... think I should..." Tristan spoke softly.

"No. Stay," Kaiba whispered, his fingers curling to clutch at Tristan's shirt. "Don't leave. Stay here, stay with me. Stay the night."

Tristan blinked, then smiled slightly. "Well, who could say no to that?" he murmured. Then he gently eased Kaiba back on the bed. "Fine, I'll stay..."

**TBC? Over? Who knows... heh, sorry**

* * *

A/N: Holy Hell, buh-bye humor, you were nice to have for a while XD Ah well, I wrote something. This was part of the deal with RK... annnnnnd, yeah, I guess that's it. Yeah yeah, humor's long gone... the whole Seto/Weevil thing went bye-bye like a long time ago, but whatever, right? Yikes, 11 pages O.o; Nyaaah, learn when to stop, Nanashi! yeesh v.v; in a slump, you should't try to write lots, doy! (_hides_) 

Oh yeah... and that little "**TBC? The End?**" thing? Uh, yeah, up to me,but I dunno... but I'll see what I can do. Heh.


	6. Just a Little TLC

Disclaimer: Unless Tristan/Ryou(aka, Protectshipping) becomes canon, and Seto Kaiba gets the hots for Tristan, then I'd probably be the owner, but seeing as they aren't and he doesn't(yet, heh), then that means, YGO! and its characters aren't mine.

Warnings: **OOC-ness**, if the concept bugs you, I apologize... It's Kaiba, he's hung-over, so there's some mild language too... and Shounen-ai! It's all good! Well, not the writing anyways, but whatever(_shrugs_). Stubbornshipping, and Shrimpshipping, sorry, heh.

(_salutes_) I made a deal, this time with Star-chan. And there were a few that enjoyed this, and asked for me to finish it properly... so yep yep, here it is, more or less... and I also say thanks to the reviewers. Soo, thanks much, mucho gracias, arigatou gozaimasu, spasee'bah, and shukran... yep, and all that jazz... oh yeah, and I apologize, and say thanks, for tolerating this final chapter (_bows then flees_)

* * *

Seto swallowed thickly, feeling nausea swirling in his stomach. And his head was killing him. No way in hell were his mirgraines this painful. He soon realized he was in the familiar territory of his bedroom, since he recognized the bed's level of softness; and he silently thanked the interior decorator who gave him heavy dark drapes, since they were keeping the sun's rays out. He was certain opening his eyes would spell certain doom...

... Well, maybe not so much doom, but Seto was feeling like hell, so he could think what he wanted.

Then the sound of the door opening then closing, as someone walked in. There was a soft rattling, which prodded Seto's curiousity a bit. "You don't strike me as the type to sleep the day away..." the person said quietly, standing beside the bed.

Oh no, the last thing he wanted was a lecture... Seto groaned, pulling a pillow over his head, "I don't... but I have the right this time..." His words died in his throat, the voice's familiarity seeping through his fuzzy, pain-addled brain. "Are you who I think you are?"

"Are you hung-over?"

"... Nnnnnh... Yes... Gods, shoot me! There's a gun downstairs in the den," Seto griped, forgetting his earlier question. "Top drawer on the right."

To the redhead's amazement, he heard him chuckle in amusement. "I don't think I need to go that far... Mokuba's a little worried, so maybe you should make a quick appearance."

"Light's bad."

"Light's good."

"Light kills..."

The person almost laughed, but quickly cleared his throat. "Kaiba, seriously... you'll feel a little better if you eat something, and take some aspirin. I'm guessing you didn't eat anything yesterday, seeing as you got wasted so fast."

Seto held up his index finger, in triumph. "Shows what you know...!" he said, his voice muffled by the pillow. "I ate lunch yesterday... oww..." he groaned again, pushing the pillow down against his head. "Shoot me..!" he was just plain whining now. Not that he cared.

"... You're completely different in the privacy of your room, you know that?"

"It's my room... who's going to see me?" mumbled Seto.

"I'm seeing you."

"Tristan..?" Seto decided it was time to confirm.

"Yeah."

Seto reluctantly pushed the pillow up a bit, opening one eye slightly, finding it was indeed Tristan. His head was tilted, and he was smiling wryly. And in his hand was a glass of water, and a bottle of aspirin held between his index and middle fingers, leaving his other hand free. Seto swallowed hard again, "you stayed."

"Can't exactly leave with someone clinging to you like you're a lifeline..." said Tristan, with a small shrug.

"... Did you want to leave?"

Tristan rubbed the back of his neck, looking thoughtful, "I don't... well, not..."

Seto flinched very, very slightly, as he released a shaky breath, and burrowed back under the pillow; well, that showed him what he would get if he laid all his cards on the table in one setting. "Whatever, who cares... leave now if you want... I could care less..!" he spat, his voice still muffled.

Tristan blinked in confusion. Well, most would be confused if all they heard was, "whaaffefff, moofares... miffmowff oowawnt... mwyedoodnarewess." He sighed, and couldn't help smiling slightly. Seto's guise of the cold and distant CEO had shattered for him since last night. The redhead was acting like a sulky teenager... Tristan sat down on the bed, but said nothing, and waited, tapping the glass of water lightly which rattled the aspirin a bit.

"... dohmway!"

"... Kaiba, get out from under there, I can't understand a word you're saying."

Seto lifted the pillow a bit, turning his head. "I said, 'go away'!"

"No."

"The hell? Tristan, when I say..!" Seto started to bellow, as he flipped over and sat up quickly. Only to yelp, actually yelp, as he quickly clutched at his head, clearly in pain. "Goddamnit," he whimpered, grabbing and placing a pillow on top of his literally throbbing cranium, and pulling it down over his ears, since they were ringing.

"A maid brought you some fruit salad earlier," Tristan spoke quietly, careful with his movements, as he grabbed the bowl of fruit with his free hand. The last thing the first-timer needed was unnecessary motions to make him feel worse. "It's not much, but it'll be easier on your stomach if you eat something before taking these," he said, holding up the aspirin.

"Not hungry," Seto mumbled.

"... At least this doesn't smell bad," Tristan smiled slightly. "You'd feel even worse if you had to eat eggs or something, trust me. You need liquids, too... you're probably dehydrated."

Seto slowly looked up, despite his head thrumming in protest of the simple action. "How the hell..?"

"I'm practically a certified 'baby-sitter' of drunk people, and a 'nurse' for hung-over people... just eat some pieces of canteloupe or something." Tristan blinked, then rolled his eyes, as Seto scowled defiantly. Really, even his nephew wasn't this bad when it came to eating.

Seto blinked in confusion as Tristan sat the glass of water and aspirin on his nightstand; the brunette then turned, kneeling on one knee beside him, plucking a piece of canteloupe from the bowl.

"Open up..."

"Wh-what?" Seto sweatdropped.

"If you're going to be childish, I'll treat you like a child... now open up."

"You can't be... nrmph..." Seto had a piece of the juicy melon shoved into his mouth in mid-sentence. He scowled, ready to spit it out to prove who was in charge... until Tristan calmly clamped his hand over his mouth.

"Chew it, then swallow," he commanded. Luckily, he also knew how weak and shaky people with hang-overs were. Joey being a key example.

Seto clenched his teeth together in irritation, squishing the offensive piece of fruit between his molars. But made no further move to chew it, as he glared at Tristan. And it took some effort to ignore the warmth and strength of Tristan's hand; he would gladly swat the hand away, but then that would cost him his precious pillow which guarded his head from pain... well, it seemed to, anyways.

Tristan had to bite back a smile. Seto didn't know it, but he was actually pretty cute when he was sulking, especially while using both hands to hold a pillow over his head. But it was clear Seto was trying to put up a fight, not eating just to prove his point of not taking anyone's orders. '_His hang-over won't go away at this rate_...' thought Tristan, with a slight frown.

Canteloupe juice ran down Seto's throat, forcing him to swallow. But no chewing and eating, no way. Sure, he remembered confessing his feelings to Tristan, but that didn't mean he would do whatever the brunette told him to do; even if he _did_ seem to know best. It was the principle of the thing. Seto Kaiba did not take orders. Ever!

... When did Tristan's mouth replace Tristan's hand?

Seto's eyes widened in surprise, as his mouth was suddenly being kissed. Before Seto could fully react, Tristan pulled away. Well, this was the type of situation where you just _had_ to ask, "what the hell was that?"

Wait... something was preventing him from speaking... oh, right, canteloupe. Seto chewed it once, twice, three times, then swallowed. Then he opened his mouth and started to ask, "what the hell...?"

Which Tristan took as an opportunity to shove a strawberry into his mouth.

Seto sweatdropped, as Tristan leaned in, kissing his mouth again. The redhead would be lying if he said he didn't want to respond; he pulled away, chewed and swallowed, then moved back in, to try and continue where he left off just a second ago... only he had honeydew placed in his mouth.

Tristan smiled at the sour glare aimed at him. But as it was mentioned before, Seto had a pillow over his head, and he didn't appear at all threatening. Tristan snickered, and kissed his lips briefly. "Eat first, then take something," he said, affectionately. "Most don't like doing 'anything' with a headache after all..."

Seto blinked cluelessly. Innuendo was really not his area. Perhaps Tristan could teach him a few things...

**oooXXXooo**

After some time, and several chaste kisses, Seto finally finished his pseudo-meal. And he did feel a little better, the swirling feeling in his stomach had lessened, but his head still pounded. Tristan handed him 2 aspirin, and the glass of water, with lemon floating in it. Seto didn't bother to question him.

Letting his pillow go, he drank the water quickly, easily washing down the pills. Seto lowered the empty glass, brow furrowing. So he _was_ dehydrated...

A second later, Seto found himself laying back in his pillows, Tristan was leaning over him, gently nipping at his lower lip. Seto's heart was pounding hard, as he wrapped his arms around Tristan's neck, kissing back eagerly, their mouths slipping over each other's almost desperately.

Damn lungs, always greedy for air...

They parted, breathing hard. Seto couldn't help but wince as his head still pounded slightly at the temples. Tristan smiled wryly, brushing Seto's bangs out of his eyes. "So... you like me..." he said, softly.

"... Yes."

Closing his eyes, Tristan lowered his head, kissing Seto again gently. "For how long?" he asked.

Seto swallowed hard, "don't know... I don't keep track."

The brunette smiled, "liar... you're a businessman, you types pay attention to every detail... so when did you start seeing me differently?"

"... About a year ago."

"Then Ryou's right... I _am_ slow on the uptake," Tristan rolled his eyes at himself. How sad, someone unbelievably hot had a crush on him, and he had no idea. But, Tristan couldn't feel too down, considering Seto wasn't exactly 'Johnny Sunshine', regardless of Joey's statement.

"Does it bother you?" Seto asked, turning away, his bangs slipping back down, over his eyes to hide his expression. His hair really helped in emotional situations.

"No... it's... cute... sweet of you," Tristan shrugged.

Seto laughed, without sounding amused. "That's not something I'm called often," he mumbled.

"How many people have you 'liked'?" countered Tristan, with a small smile.

"... Only you."

Tristan nodded, as he leaned down, kissing Seto firmly. "You proved my point," he said against his mouth, sounding satisfied. "Still have a headache?"

"... Yeah," Seto scowled, as he reached up, massaging his temple.

"Alright," Tristan sat back up, and grinned. "I guess it can wait... until you feel better," he stood up, grabbing the empty dishes. "Take it easy, and... I have a phonecall to make."

Seto furrowed his brow, "Tristan." He stopped just before the door, glancing over his shoulder at him.

"Yeah?"

"... Official? Or... are you just screwing with me?"

Tristan smiled, "you need to choose your words carefully, Kaiba... Seto... and yeah... official boyfriend, lover, koibito, whatever term you use." With that, he turned, and wandered out, closing the door softly.

Seto blinked a few times in confusion. Choose his words carefully?

**oooXXXooo**

Meanwhile at the Underwood residence, Rex sighed, as he walked back up the stairs, answering the ringing cordless phone. "Hello?" he asked, wearily.

"Rex, hey... he doing any better?"

"Tristan... uhh, yeah, he's not bad... bad headache, and he just finished throwing up... kinda vile, but whatever."

"Did you make him drink something..? Not good if he's throwing up on an empty stomach."

"Orange juice."

"Yeah, that should do... uh, maybe you can put Weevil on... I have to deal with something."

"You hooked up with Kaiba, last night... did the nasty?" Rex grinned slightly.

"No... put Weevil on..."

"No you didn't hook up, or no you didn't do the nasty?"

"Rex, I swear I'll punch you in the mouth if you don't put Weevil on." Tristan spoke, in a disturbingly sweet way, like speaking to a stray puppy that'd been kicked too many times.

"... I'll tell him."

"Huh?"

Rex leaned against Weevil's bedroom doorframe, where the Bugboy was laying perfectly still on his bed, clutching at his head. "You put up with him enough... I can handle the minor details... but don't consider it a favor, I'm just tired of Weevil acting like his life revolves around Kaiba, and..."

"Is that Lovebug?" Weevil shot up from bed, and was suddenly standing by Rex, clinging to the doorframe, eyes wide with hope, as he tried to ignore the evil drum solo playing inside his skull. He lunged forward, trying to grab the phone.

"Idiot, if it were Kaiba, would I say his name..?" Rex snapped. "Get back in bed! You're in no shape to be prancing around like a lovesick fool!"

"Gimme! Who is it?" Weevil demanded, lunging for the phone again.

Rex turned away, using his hand to grab Weevil's shirt, and hold him off, while speaking into the phone. "What? What'd you say? I have the idiot up and around now..."

"Yeah, sounds like it... uh, I said if he has any qualms about it, he can come to me, and we'll talk it over... alright?" Tristan's voice said, loudly.

"Yeah, yeah... bye..." Rex pushed the 'end' button, hanging up. He was leaning back heavily against the wall using his other arm to hold off Weevil's eager hands which were struggling to reach the phone, as the younger boy was leaning heavily against him.

Weevil froze, his eyes widening. "What? What happened? What's going on? What was that?" he asked.

Rex sweatdropped, "... What do you expect? You were rubbing against me, and..!" he barked, red-faced.

Despite the wrongness of the statement, Weevil ignored it, as he straightened up, and lowered his head. "So... Taylor won, huh?" he said, quietly.

Rex blinked, and realized Weevil never noticed what he thought he noticed. He stood up fully as well, his brows lowering slightly. "Yeah... they hooked up last night..."

Weevil said nothing, as he only nodded numbly, and walked back into his room, sitting on his bed

Rex sighed quietly, turning and following Weevil, only he leaned against the wall across from the bed. "So, nice day so far, huh?" he asked, almost drolly.

"... Shut up." Weevil gripped the blankets, his eyes still downcast.

Rex scowled, folding his arms. "I don't know what your problem is, but it's kinda annoying... so you lost something, big deal..."

"I didn't lose 'something', you dense neanderthal," Weevil said, tonelessly. "I lost Seto Kaiba... to someone who can't love him nearly as much as I do..."

"You never had him in the first place," Rex said, sourly. "How can you lose something you've never had? And how do you know you even loved the guy, huh?"

"I knew! A moron like you could never understand something like love..."

Rex's eye began to twitch. "That's a hell of a thing to say to me, idiot!" he snarled. "I know plenty..! You just liked Kaiba's pretty face, that's all! You barely knew the guy! That 'love' you felt is what little kids call a 'crush'!"

"Shut up!"

"No! _You_ shut up and listen for once! It wasn't exactly pleasant for me to see my best friend going around, chasing after some jerk who held absolutely no interest in him, but I did it anyways! Wanna know why? Because it was what you wanted! I always did that for you! I always tried to let you have what you want! I knew the guy would hurt you, but you wanted to try to go after him anyways!"

Weevil's eyes widened, as he stared at he floor. The edges of his vision began to blur; damn to hell the neanderthal if he made him cry..!

Rex sighed deeply, as he tried to settle his temper. "It had to be said... you're an idiot, and idiots need things to be spelled out for them... especially when it's something they don't understand... love for one..."

"Like you understand 'love'," Weevil scoffed, as he tried to blink back his tears.

"I was taught love is wanting your love to be happy... to try and let him have whatever he wanted," Rex said bitterly, looking away. "I tried to do that for you... as much as it bugged me, I tried to."

Weevil blinked, then he swallowed thickly. He looked up slowly, seeing Rex was blushing.

"... I'm gonna go. I don't need to see you sulk about losing someone else, when you still have me," the taller boy muttered, as he turned, and walked out of the room.

Weevil blinked several times. "Still have him..?" he murmured, softly. He dropped his head, brow furrowing in thought; Rex was such a prick: he was too damn blunt, he never tried to soften anything he said. And they constantly argued, usually about something stupid like where and what to eat. And sometimes the not-so stupid, like telling each other not to do something reckless. How many times had they said..:

_"You duel that guy, his gang's gonna put you in the hospital!"_

_"I have a reputation to protect..!"_

_"Fine, you thick-headed moron! See if I visit you in the hospital!"_

Weevil pursed his lips, brow furrowing. And he would always visit Rex the next day, and vice versa. They were like that, they were the pair that had the weirdest form of friendship. But Rex did constantly looked out for him, Weevil had to admit.

And there was a reason behind all of it, maybe. Rex liked him. As more than a friend.

Weevil had no idea what to think. Rex wasn't anything like Kaiba, well, except for the bluntness, but Kaiba's was cool, well-mannered. Rex was downright rude, and hot-headed, saying what he pleased without thinking. While with Kaiba, Weevil felt giddy, excited, and maybe nervous; but with Rex, he felt calm, level-headed(since Rex was anything but), intelligent... comfortable. Life without his best friend, Rex Raptor... Weevil swallowed again. Well, it'd be way quieter and duller, in all honesty. Rex liked him, he proved it in his own way. Maybe it was time to return the favor.

Weevil quickly got up, ignoring his headache, as he ran out the door, and down the stairs, jumping into his shoes. "Rex!" he yelled, racing out the frontdoor. "Rex!" he shouted at the familiar boy walking away, actually looking dejected, rather than stomping in his aggrevated manner.

Rex stopped, looking over his shoulder. He scowled, "you idiot! You should be resting, not running around!"

"Shut up!" Weevil snapped, waving his arms angerly. His headache was long forgotten, as he jammed his finger against Rex's chest. "You stupid, dumb, bone-headed, moronic, dense excuse of a neanderthal!"

"What the hell?" snapped Rex.

"Why didn't you tell me you liked me, you moron!"

Rex's eye began to twitch again. "Why should I tell you that! You're my best friend, but I'm not gonna tell you everything just to make you feel better!"

"Argh!" Weevil smacked Rex's arm. "If I knew you liked me, I wouldn't have went after Kaiba in the first place!"

"You liar," Rex snorted. "Anyways, I had to let you see for yourself that he wasn't right for you... besides, it was what you wanted, and it isn't my place to try and keep you from what you want."

"Moron, you _did_ try!"

"I _could_ have used more effort, Idiot!"

They both stopped, and watched each other for a moment. Then they smiled. Now that felt familiar, and so very right.

Rex frowned thoughtfully. "So, what now? You know I like you... so, what happens?"

"How should I know... I never said I liked you back, y' know," Weevil sniffed, looking away huffily.

"Yeah, you didn't... what's that about, huh?"

"It's none of your business..."

"It should be! You know I like you!"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"It should! If you like someone, you should let them know!"

"Who said I liked you?"

"Damnit, Weevil, you're impossible, you know that!"

"Just shut up, you pre-evolved ape, and kiss me already!"

Rex paused, and blinked a few times. Then he grinned, and quickly stepped up to Weevil, gathering him in a tight hug, kissing him hard on the mouth. His heart skipped, as Weevil hugged his neck, kissing back with just as much vigor.

**oooXXXooo**

Ryou yawned, as he walked out of his apartment. It was a little embarrassing to be walked to his own apartment with the super, but he had no real complaints. Mr. Olap was very understanding; "boys will be boys... as long as it doesn't affect their rent," he had joked.

"Hey, Ryou."

Ryou blinked, turning to see Tristan and Seto. He smiled brightly, "hi, guys," he greeted cheerfully.

"Konnichiwa," Seto greeted calmly, "daijoubu ka?"

"Hai, daijoubu," Ryou nodded. Then he blinked, "umm... why the use of nihongo all of a sudden?" he asked, in confusion.

"You said quite a few things in Japanese last night," Tristan explained, looking amused. "At least now I know how to tell if you're sober or not."

"Oh... well, that's nice of you, but last night was a one-time thing," Ryou replied, tucking his hair behind his ear, then he grinned at Seto. "How was your morning... nice and eventful, ne?"

Seto blushed hard, "wh-what? What sort of question is that?"

Ryou blinked, "something I said?" he asked Tristan, slowly.

Tristan laughed, "he's, uh... he's just learning a few things," he answered. "About me, anyways."

"Damnit, why did I even ask..? Everything I hear sounds perverted now, because I can follow his form of thinking," Seto muttered, folding his arms. "Ecchi," he griped. "I _had_ to like someone perverted."

**Over Now**

* * *

A/N: I was snickering like a lunatic, so I dunno what it means... I think I'm a dork... whee, to M&Ms, and Pepsi(I don't own the names, but I do own this bag of M&Ms and this bottle of Pepsi)! Whoo-hoo, good shtuff, yep. Nyaah, sorry, ahem... yep, part of my deal with Star... Annnd, well, here it is... (_salutes_) Alrighty, Star-chan, I did, yepyep... sorry for the weirdness, but I'm in a slump... heh, my bad. I'll try to write better, next time... gomen (_flees and __hides_) 


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